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Esty tours job training program Support sought for building workforce BY MICHAEL C. JULIANO REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN

TORRINGTON — Rep. Elizabeth H. Esty, D-5th District, on Friday got an up-close look at students preparing for jobs of the future with a tour of Oliver Wolcott Technical High School.

"The modern face of manufacturing is really quite different, and it's important that families and young people see the exciting things happening in Connecticut," Esty said while standing in the school's Manufacturing Technology shop. "We have 5,000 manufacturers in Connecticut, and a lot of them are doing cutting-edge work and exporting around the world."

Esty visited the school to discuss efforts to better prepare students for jobs of the future through partnerships among manufacturers, small businesses and community colleges.

In October, she introduced two bills to support workforce development in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM.

As Esty spoke to school and city officials, 18 students in red shirts operated various types of machinery as they made parts for different companies.

"This is competition for the students, because these manufacturers want to come in here and take our best kids as quickly as they can," said Principal Robert Axon, adding the students receive certification from the National Institute for Metalworking Skills, or NIMS. "They're well-skilled."

It isn't just males entering the Manufacturing Technology program to pursue a career in manufacturing, said Larry Pomerleau, the program's department head.

"Our incoming freshmen (are) pretty much 50-50 male-female," said Pomerleau, whose program has 67 students. "It's a nice field because, whether male or female, they're going to make a good living."

Pomerleau is working with the state Board of Regents for Higher Education to institute a program in which seniors with NIMS certification can receive college credits from Northwestern Connecticut Community College. He said the school also allows middle-school students to tour the shop, and is considering a program in which companies would sponsor a student for a week over the summer.

"Our biggest stigma is grandpa worked at an old manufacturing facility and got laid off," he said.

Friday's tour went on to the school's Auto Shop, where 15 students worked on cars owned by local residents.

"We run it very similar to a production shop in the trade," department head Raymond Royles said, adding the students also deal with the customers and do the billing.

Brentan Reinville, a junior from Thomaston, said he came to the school to become a diesel mechanic.

"I love learning how things work and fixing things," he said. "It's relatively free, so you don't have to go to college for all of it and you learn it ahead of time."

The next stop was the school's Collision Repair shop, where Esty was shown how paint colors are matched by using a "sun gun" and color samples.

Dominique Carlson, a junior from Torrington, said she initially came to Wolcott Tech to learn hairdressing, but switched to the collision repair program.

"I worked with my dad a lot on cars," she said. "I just have a passion for buffing cars and doing mechanic work."

Carlson was one of six girls in the class of 25 students.

The tour's last stop was the school's Culinary Program, which runs a restaurant called Oliver's.

Esty said agriculture, locally sourced foods, restaurants and wineries together make up a very important part of the state's Northwest Corner.

"Connecticut's concern about increasing interest in organic farming and local farming really dovetails well with the culinary arts program," she said.

Axon said the school, which has about 650 students, accepts about 180 applicants out of about 380 that apply every year.

Following the tour, Esty said she was impressed with the school's focus on instilling professional demeanor and a strong work ethic.

"I've heard from manufacturers that they just don't find a skills challenge in new employees, but also their attitude issues, showing up on time, being reliable," she said.

" Only socialists would want government involved in jobs and the economy. There are too many citizens that don't even know they are socialists and communists. Very sad to watch the greatest nation on Earth die such a pathetic, self-inflicted death. "

" This Traitor does not care about anything but her friends in high places. Just ask her husband. All she wants is to take every ones GOD GIVEN RIGHTS from them. Or she likes PR stunts like going to a school in Newtown and read a book to the kids cause she cares and don't want guns to kill people. Well who does. I don't want kids to die from anything but CANCER kills kids more then anything. So when will she fight CANCER that kills over 1,500,000 every year and guns kill maybe 12,000 and most are Gangs. SO Traitor Esty stop taken my GOD GIVEN RIGHTS and start to fighting the Fed Government that is killing everyone and everything. When will you tell OBAMANATION he is a TYRANT and IMPEACH him? ? ?

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